TRANSIT took note of the unfortunate news that the Selangor Government will move ahead with studies for the Kinrara Damansara Expressway, also known as KiDEx or the KiDEx “skyway” (a falsely romanticized name just as false as the pictures on their website)

TRANSIT members were shocked and disappointed to read the news in The Star today, which shared the results of a survey by the Sleep Disorder Society of Malaysia and the JKJR which showed that a significant number of Malaysian bus drivers suffer from sleep disorders.

“The survey was carried out on 300 bus drivers from five transport companies nationwide and what shocked us the most was that eight percent are at a severe level,” he told Bernama at the Sleep Disorder Society Malaysia (SDSM) Scientific Meeting – Towards Healthier Sleep in Malaysia event, here on Saturday.

DAP publicity chief Tony Pua reveals that an amendment of the National Land Code allows for the use of underground land without having to acquire surface property.

PETALING JAYA: Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, a 100% government-owned transport company, is abusing the law for the purposes of profit in making “unnecessary” property acquisitions in Chinatown, the DAP alleged today.

TRANSIT took note of a very interesting article in Free Malaysia Today, announcing that cab drivers were going to organize a protest on Sunday, 31 July over what is described as government apathy over the issues they have raised.

We have to wonder if this protest, coming so soon after a protest of KTM Railwaymen’s Union members, is a sign that more and more line workers in the transport industry are increasingly frustrated with government inaction.

And we wonder how long it will take before the taxi driver’s also start talking politics … because as most of us know, once you get drivers to start talking about politics … everything comes out.

TRANSIT took note of this article in Free Malaysia Today which argues that, while the first of the new KTM Komuter trains is soon to arrive on our shores (some say it has already arrived, but we have yet to see any photos), the question of the tender for these new trains (and other issues at KTMB) needs to be explored in greater depth by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

TRANSIT took note of this article from the Borneo Post, in which Sarawak’s Infrastructure Development & Communications Minister comments unfavourably about the proposed Miri-Bintulu railway corridor, which is part of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

The feasibility of the railway link is being examined as part of the organized development which is to benefit the economy of Sarawak.

INFRASTRUCTURE Development and Communications Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong has stated that it is not viable to construct a railway system for public transport usage in the state at the moment, due to the low population of Sarawak.

Update: At least one wakil rakyat has chosen to speak up so we decided to change the title of our post. Guess who it is? No point, as you already know that it is Tony Pua (since no other wakil rakyat really appear to follow these finance issues, let alone speak up)!

Update: According to this article, the contract has actually been awarded to Colas, instead of the Bombardier-Hartasuma-SNC Lavalin consortium. However, the issues of transparency still stand. See the updated post below!

‘He that pays the piper calls (chooses) the tune’

That phrase is a simple explanation of who has authority in life … it’s often those with the money. TRANSIT takes note that the Finance Ministry (the one “paying the piper”) has ‘called the tune’ for a third time, (overruling a tender-evaluation decision made by Prasarana and awarding contracts to ‘unsuccessful’ companies).

Now the government has overruled Prasarana’s decision on the Kelana Jaya LRT extension, and [TRANSIT: we should have added “apparently” here] awarded the contract to a consortium of Bombardier, Hartasuma and SNC Lavalin – a decision that will increase the cost of the LRT extension, put an additional burden on Malaysian taxpayers for generations to come, and allow foreign companies and their local partners to profit handily on the backs of the Malaysian public.

TRANSIT took note of an announcement from Prasarana that they had eased some of the conditions for pre-qualification for tenders for the MRT project – after being accused of deliberately sidelining Bumiputera contractors.

Prasarana at the time defended themselves, saying that the stringent conditions were meant to ensure that only “genuine, qualified and competent contractors” would be selected.

Saying that, we continue to wonder about the selection of the Independent Checking Engineer – a company rejected by Prasarana apparently chosen after Prasarana was overruled by the government.

At the time Shahril Mokhtar, Group Managing Director, was quoted as saying that it was the government’s money, therefore they had the final say.

No. It is our money. We pay the costs. And if the MRT is not planned, financed built and operated properly, it will be our loss. We, the rakyat, have the final say.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd appears to have caved in to pressure from Malay rights groups today when it revised pre-qualification criteria for several construction packages for the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT).

The project owner said contractors who wish to tender for elevated civil works, stations and depots work construction packages will be allowed to form joint ventures (JV) or consortiums among local companies starting from tomorrow.